We have been developing B. megaterium M-46 (Lys dap) as a simple system for the study of the assembly of the macromolecular components of the bacterial cell wall. An oligomeric lipid intermediate has been detected in the pathway of peptidoglycan synthesis. The role of the intermediate will be assessed by examining the plausibility of its origin from cell wall growing points, its relation to cell wall muramidases and its utilization by cell-free peptidoglycan synthesizing systems. In addition to the peptidoglycan, the wall contains a teichuronic acid whose size, shape and primary structure have been determined. Antibodies to the teichuronate have been secured and will be used to screen for mutants lacking the teichuronate as a test of the essentiality of the polymer. A soil organism has been isolated that can use the teichuronic acid as a sole carbon source. Enzymes capable of specifically degrading the teichuronic will be obtained and used to facilitate the isolation of the linkage unit between the teichuronic acid and the peptidoglycan.